By Tom Allon
When I briefly taught English at Stuyvesant High School more than 25 years ago, I had the good fortune of meeting a witty, impish Irish man who had already been a teacher for two decades.
He was the school’s popular creative writing teacher and was legendary among students who graduated from that selective high school for his unorthodox teaching methods.
Two assignments of his that students loved to complete were to write the most creative absence note from a parent and to write a restaurant review of your dinner from the previous evening. He asked students probing questions in class about the quotidian details of their lives and he made them listen closely to their classmates’ written work so they could critique each other.
That man — who after he retired as a teacher went on to become a world-renowned author as the most famous memoir writer (“Angela’s Ashes,” “Teacher Man”) — was Frank McCourt, and I am proud to say he was my friend and mentor.
He was a “master teacher” before anyone started using that term for talented and experienced teachers who take young pedagogues under their wings.
When I was a young and inexperienced teacher at Stuyvesant, he took me under his wing, gave me some pointers, allowed me to watch his class and occasionally we’d combine classes so we could teach together. He was masterful to watch in action and, to this day, some of my fondest moments in my brief career as a teacher were learning from Frank.
One of the things that has not been given enough attention in the new New York City teachers’ contract is the provision to include master teachers and “ambassador teachers,” which are new concepts for our local public school system. In the new contract, master teachers will be paid up to $20,000 more each year for working more and helping to mentor younger teachers.
What a fantastic idea. There is now a career ladder for teachers which allows them to make more money and advance their professional careers. I have been espousing this policy idea for a few years now and I am thrilled that Mayor Bill de Blasio, city Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña and United Federation of Teachers President Mike Mulgrew have made it a reality.
There is no greater way to ensure young teachers get the proper training they need than giving them mentors who are successful and experienced teachers. It will be interesting to see how this new program is implemented.
But one thing is for sure. It’s a new day in public education in New York — between universal pre-K and master teachers, the de Blasio administration is thinking big on education in its first year in office.
Our children will be the beneficiaries of these new, bold programs.
Tom Allon, president of City & State NY, was a Republican and Liberal Party-backed mayoral candidate in 2013 before he left to return to the private sector. Reach him at tallon@cityandstateny.com.
